The Crossing
'' |image= |series= |production=40358-044/218 |producer(s)= |story=Rick Berman, Brannon Braga and André Bormanis |script= Rick Berman and Brannon Braga |director= David Livingston |imdbref=tt0572253 |guests=Joseph Will as Crewman Michael Rostov, Steven Allerick as Ensign Cook, Alexander Chance as Crewman #1, Matthew Kiminsky as Crewman Cunningham and Valarie Ianniello as Female Crewmember |previous_production=Canamar |next_production=Judgment |episode=ENT S02E18 |airdate=2 April 2003 |previous_release=Canamar |next_release=Judgment |story_date(s)=Unknown (2152) |previous_story=Canamar |next_story=Judgment }} =Summary= While at warp speed, a huge alien vessel overtakes and swallows Enterprise, disabling the ship's engines and weapons. When the scanners register neither the alien ship nor its numerous energy-wisp-like non-corporeal beings, Captain Archer takes Lieutenant Reed and Commander Tucker on an away mission to the interior. While EV Tucker is visibly "entered" by one of the beings before being returned to his normal state. Doctor Phlox's examination, however, reveals no lingering effects. Later, Tucker is possessed again, and is soon located in the mess hall enjoying the simple pleasures of food. When asked, the alien says that they are explorers who merely want to experience the tangible nature of the corporeal state they long evolved from. In exchange, the crew would be permitted to have out of body experiences. Archer, doubtful of the aliens' intentions, demands the release of his ship, and the return of Tucker's consciousness—both of which quickly happen. Enterprise is now freed, but the engines are not operational. While affecting repairs, the crew start displaying signs of possession one-by-one. Similar events occur throughout the ship, including the takeover of Reed, Ensign Sato, and 22 others. Ensign Mayweather, himself escaping a pursuing entity, finds sanctuary in the nacelle catwalk area, so Archer orders the uninfected crew there. Sub-Commander T'Pol then proposes a plan to use her more disciplined mind to try to uncover the beings' intentions. Archer is opposed, but assents given that there is no other alternative. T'Pol is soon overcome and discovers that the aliens plan to co-opt the 82 crew-member's bodies to save themselves from their failing ship. Archer, T'Pol and Phlox then hatch a plan to forcibly expel the beings by asphyxiating the infected crew. Though he has some trouble with an infected Tucker, Phlox is able to reach the atmospheric controls and floods the ship with CO2, and the aliens are forced to return to their ship. When the alien ship attempts to pursue Enterprise, Archer destroys it with two torpedoes. =Errors and Explanations= IMDB Continuity #The entity possessing Hoshi contacts the doctor claiming her leg is broken. When he gets to her cabin he tells her to move away from the door. When the door opens she is on the floor, too far from the com panel to have activated it. She may have crawled there. # Lt. Malcolm Reed is being followed by a coherent energy wisp. Reed slides down the ladder fireman-style, grabs a phase pistol from the wall, fires at the wisp twice and goes out the door - phase pistol still in hand and ready for action, and when you next see him the camera pans up from his feet that stop dead in their tracks (because his body is now controlled by the wisp that enters him) and now he is no longer in possession of a phase pistol.The wisp could have forced him to throw the pistol away. Nit Central # ScottN on Thursday, April 03, 2003 - 8:59 am: Why can't non-corporeal beings (apparently energy -- since they can make humans just like them) survive in vacuum? Darth Sarcasm on Thursday, April 03, 2003 - 10:26 am: The fact that they're non-corporeal doesn't mean that they do not need to rely on material objects to survive (although I don't remember anything indicating that they couldn't survive in a vacuum). Energy, by our understanding today, doesn't exist in a vacuum... it requries matter to generate and maintain. Apparently the wisps needed their ship to survive. Perhaps the ship's systems include an energy-based life support system. # '' The Undesirable Element on Wednesday, April 02, 2003 - 9:14 pm:'' The aliens' takeover plans seem inefficient. They first perform the crossing on Tucker then release him so that they crew might be tricked. Then they start taking over everyone one at a time. Why didn't they just have 82 of them board the ship at once and take over everyone. Maybe that would be too much crossing over at once. Where's John Edward when you need him. Darth Sarcasm on Thursday, April 03, 2003 - 10:26 am: The others were too busy drawing metaphorical straws to decide which of them (remember, there were hundreds) would stay and which would "cross." What disturbed me most about the show is that Archer was too quick to blow the alien ship to kingdom come. For all he knew, the 82 that were "crossing" were the leaders of a dictatorial regime. There were hundreds of others, and he had no way of knowing if they all had the same agenda... in fact, the slow transfer of wisps that TUE pointed out could be an indication of a power struggle or rebellion. Granted, there is no evidence of this. Nor is there evidence of that they were all bad. And this seems out of character for Archer, who seemed to have reservations in killing the Klingon marauders who had killed a number of colonists. While I understand that he needed to defend his ship and crew, I would have rather seen Archer take a moment to question what he would do if their roles had been reversed. After all, these aliens were only trying to save themselves. It may have been at the expense of our crew, but how is their action any different from Archer's at the end? And look at it this way... there are religious extremists around the world who believe that the actions of our government threaten their way of life. And these extremists think launching a campaign against our country's civilians is justified in order to preserve their way of life. Is Archer's decision to blow them all away any different? I don't think so. Category:EpisodesCategory:Enterprise